Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 75

Devanagari script

अग्निपुंजनिभाकारा विशाला शाल्मली परा । इत्यादयस्तथैवान्ये शतसाहस्रसंज्ञिताः

Transliteration

agnipuṃjanibhākārā viśālā śālmalī parā | ityādayastathaivānye śatasāhasrasaṃjñitāḥ

Translation

अग्निपुंजासारखी आकृती असलेला, अत्यंत विशाल असा परम शाल्मली (नरक) आहे. याप्रमाणे इतरही अनेक नरक सांगितले आहेत—ज्यांची नावे शतसाहस्रांनी आहेत।

Word by Word

• अग्निपुंजनिभाकारा: having a form like a heap of fire
• अग्निपुंजनिभाकारा: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक) + पुंज (प्रातिपदिक) + निभ (प्रातिपदिक) + आकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः = 'having the form like a heap of fire' (निभ = 'like')

• विशाला: vast
• विशाला: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विशाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; agrees with शाल्मली

• शाल्मली: the Śālmalī tree
• शाल्मली: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाल्मली (प्रातिपदिक/वृक्ष-नाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• परा: another
• परा: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; 'other/another'

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/समाप्त्यर्थक अव्यय (quotative particle)

• आदयः: etc./and the rest
• आदयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) (list marker)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; 'and so on' (with इति)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (likewise)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (just/indeed)

• अन्ये: others
• अन्ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• शतसाहस्रसंज्ञिताः: bearing names in the hundreds of thousands
• शतसाहस्रसंज्ञिताः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक) + साहस्र (प्रातिपदिक) + संज्ञित (कृदन्त/भूतकृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः = 'named (as) hundred-thousand' / 'having the designation of hundreds of thousands'

Speaker

Deductive: Skanda (Kārttikeya) narrating within Āvantya Khaṇḍa’s Reva Khaṇḍa frame

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śālmalī (nāraka)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A gigantic expanse named Śālmalī, appearing like a mountain of fire—embers, flame tongues, and heat haze—followed by an implied horizon of countless other named hells stretching beyond sight.

Characters & Entities

• Śālmalī (Naraka)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Karmic consequence is vast and differentiated; the tradition describes many graded results to impress the seriousness of adharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The chapter belongs to the Revā (Narmadā) milieu in the Reva Khaṇḍa, but this verse itself is a doctrinal catalogue of narakas rather than tīrtha-praise.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated here; it serves as a moral-educational description supporting dharmic living.